


Old soldiers never die

by Ilyasviel



Series: Old soldiers [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Death Wish, Flashbacks, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Relationship(s), Regret
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-19
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-04 11:26:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12770058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ilyasviel/pseuds/Ilyasviel
Summary: After the mission in El Cairo, where Jack has found Ana again, everything has gone south for him. They have been attacked by the Reaper, and Ana has discovered the identity behind the mask. And this fact has broken Jack's heart in pieces again.





	1. Dark nights on El Cairo

**Author's Note:**

> I just discovered the fandom around a month ago... and I'm already sailing on it like a seasoned sailor xD damn them and their characters! I fell in love with so many pairings T_T but these two old grumpy soldiers have made themselves a little corner in my heart >_<
> 
> I plan to keep adding chapters to this work, with some moments of flashback to their younger days on the SEP and the Omnic war. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy it ^^ as always, no beta reader for my works, all the typos are mine to bear. If you find anything that I can correct, let me know and I will change it ;)

Since he has found Ana at El Cairo, his world has turned to pieces once more. Every single night since then, Jack lays under the night sky, letting the memories wash over him. Closing his eyes, he can feel again the explosion, the pain in his head and legs, the blood running down his face… and the heartache. The knowledge that he can be death, buried under tons of debris of what once has been a happy home for them. Jack breathing quickened, anxiety peaking. He has died that day, Jack Morrison buried forgotten under the walls of the base. The man who stood up from the dust will never be the same. Face scarred forever, eyes damaged almost irremediably, legs were broken, heart shattered to pieces. He has lost his house, his job, his family, his will to live. Moving a hand to his face, Jack takes off the mask, leaving the visor in place but gaining some space to breathe. Sitting back, he puts the mask aside, following the scars on his face with trembling fingertips. The damned day has left him scarred forever more, in and out. The angry lines of the wounds run even deeper on his soul. 

 

Ana appears at his side, as silently as ever, bringing him a cup of coffee and a blanket. “I can hear your brain from the basement.”

 

Taking the cup and letting her to cover his shoulders with the blanket, he just sighs. “Yeah. It’s a hard situation to digest.” Sipping from the mug, he let the bitter flavour wash the blood one the memories always bring back. “Damn, Ana. I’m too old for this crap.”

 

The older woman sits beside him, pushing him with her shoulder, “My thoughts exactly.” Sipping their coffees, they share some minutes of companionable silence, the distant humming of the city is the perfect background sound. At last, Ana’s tiny hand reaches for Jack’s, “You need to let it go, Jack, or it will kill you for real this time.”

 

Shaking his head, he snorts softly, “I’m already dead inside, Ana. I just keep moving thanks to the hate, and now… now I have lost my main reason. If he wants to kill me, I’ll go, gladly.” When she lets his hand go with a sad sigh, he wraps an arm around her shoulders. “You still have Fareeha. You know she always suspected you were alive and kicking.”

 

Now is her turn to snort, “Sure, because she will understand the way I ran away from Overwatch, from her, from my life.”

 

“She will. She has changed a great deal since you disappeared. And Mercy is with here. You know how much good that blondie can bring to your daughter.”

 

Ana sighs, lowering her face, “I know. I must admit that I used to spy on her, just to check that she was doing fine. I’m happy for them.”

 

Giving her a half hug, he let her go, wrapping himself better in the blanket, “Now go inside and get some rest. I’ll wake you up in the morning.”

 

“You are not my Commander anymore, remember?”

 

Pushing her shoulder, Jack’s husky voice resounds in the silent night, “No, but I’m your friend. Go and get some well-deserved sleep, Ana.” Without a single word, she stands up, leaning a hand on his shoulder before leaving the roof. The silence and the distant noise of El Cairo keeping him company. Jack finishes the coffee, putting the empty mug aside before lying down, fixing his gaze on the sky. The visor lets him see but had stolen his ability to enjoy it, turning the natural beauty into a digital reproduction of it. No warm, no realness, just the coldness of technology. Closing his eyes, he tries to remember how it was to be just Jack, on happier days, when the weight of the war isn’t on their shoulders... When Gabe walked by his side. But even that is being stolen from him. The memories are fading, like the colours of a painting. He tries to save something, grasping it like a madman, trying to keep at least the most precious one, but nothing can stop the pass of time. With a sigh, he frees an arm from under the blanket, searching on his jacket for the only thing he saved from the debris of the base that hellish day. His hand appears in front of his visor, a tiny photo, ragged and stained, with a happy Gabriel leaning against him during a party. They were so in love then. The war was a distant threat. Yes, they were training for it, but once SEP medical augmentations have ended, they were free to be just themselves. For almost two months, he has enjoyed the full happiness of a relationship with Gabriel. No more weekends spent on the couch sick to death, no more training until their hands bleed and their muscles broke. Just regular training, to keep them fit, and lots of free time. That photo was taken during the birthday party they made for Jenna, just a week before the fucking robots attacked, destroying their little bubble of happiness.

 

He was so lost in his thoughts, that he didn’t feel the presence beside him until it is too late. The shadowy form of the Reaper materialises over him, a foot on his chest and both weapons aimed at his head. “Morrison.”

 

Hearing that voice again, even distorted by the mask, make something stir inside of Jack. “Gabriel.” Lowering the hand, he puts down the photography, moving the same hand to take off his visor. If he has to die, he wants to do it seeing him with his real eyes.

 

As soon as the visor falls to one side, the twin weapons moved to aim to his chest instead, giving Reaper a clear view of his face. “Don’t want to see the death coming, Jack?”

 

“Exactly the opposite. I want to see you, for real, when you kill me at last.”

 

Reaper tilts his head to one side, listening to his words but trying to understand them, “Are you giving up already? The great Commander Morrison is giving up?”

 

Jack has to laugh, he almost sounds like the old times, mocking him about his rank. “I’ve been dead for the last years, pursuing something that has been a lie. I’m tired, Gabriel. I’m fucking tired. I just want to ask a last favour, for the years we have been together, leave Ana out of this.”

 

“The damn boy scout didn’t die that day, huh? I wasn’t planning to hurt her anyway. I’ve turned myself into a monster, but I still have a good memory. She never wronged me. Her only sin is you, and I will make you disappear tonight.”

 

“Good. Do it, then. I will not fight you.”

 

Seconds pass, none of them moving a single muscle, the silence around them almost ominous. At last, Reaper throws away one of the shotguns, the other still aiming at him. “What the hell has this war done to you, Morrison? Have you lost the will to fight?”

 

The sardonic laugh that leaves Jack surprises both of them, and Reaper tilts his head to one side, trying to understand the man in front of him. “It was not the war what broke me, Gabriel. It was the fucking explosion. The one that made me believe you were dead, the one that scarred me forever. The only thing that pushed me to keep fighting was revenge, and now… now I can’t keep doing it. So yes, I lost the will to fight. Do what you have come to do.”

 

With a raging scream, Reaper disappears from over him, appearing in a corner of the roof, no weapon on his hands. “Damn, Morrison. Not like this. I’m not gonna kill you without a fight.”

 

Sitting back, Jack recovers the visor from the ground, playing with him, “Then you are stuck with me, because I will not fight against you again, not anymore.” 

 

Something like a sigh preludes his movement. The ghostly form of Reaper crosses the roof, disappearing over the ridge before Jack can’t say anything else. He fixes the visor in place, activating the long-range vision and seeing the shadow of Gabriel move in the distance until he is lost between the darkness of the desert. “See you soon, Gabe.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still madly in love with this pair of grumpy soldiers. I'm sorry for the Angst, but it shows directly into my mind >___< Don't worry, it will end, but for now, you will need to deal with it T_T
> 
> As always, no beta reading, all the typos are mine to bear. English is not my language, so if you find any terrific typo or mistake, please, let me know and I will correct it!
> 
> And more important! Let me know if you are enjoying the story so far!

With the first morning light, when the sky around him is still changing from the dark black of the night to the bright blue of the day, he stands from the hard ground, bones popping on his old back. Straightening his damaged back and stretching his legs, he goes down the stairs to the basement, where the dorms lay. He has to scan his eyes and fingertips three times before reaching it. Ana has always been the cautious one. Reaching her door, he knocks, three times, a pause, another three times, a second pause, and two times more. A growl from the other side of the door signals her waking up, or at least trying. “Ana, I’m going to bed. Wake me up this evening.” Another grunt and he leaves the door, moving to his quarters and locking himself inside. His pulse rifle lays on the bed, together with his spare uniform and the little datapad where he has been storing everything he can find about them, the old days, the fall of Overwatch, the rising of Talon. He always tries to fool himself about the real reason, but at the end of the day, when he wants to sleep, the only way he can is listening to his voice. 

 

He has found some interviews and post-mission reports on the net and saved them like the most precious findings. Rechecking the door, he strips down his leather jacket, sitting on the bed to take off the boots. Standing with a growl when his old bones pop again, he recovers the uniform from the bed, folds and stores it in a nearby chair. The rifle ends leaning against the head of the bed, close at hand, just in case. Once done, he strips off his trousers, hanging them from the back of the chair before lying down on the bed. His body is still cold from the night outside, and he covers his body with the blankets. After turning on the datapad, he turns off the light, leaving the room in total darkness except for the little screen and the weak light that pours below the door from the hallway. Opening the videos’ folder, his fingers move up and down until he finds the one he was looking for. Clicking on it, the screen changes immediately, showing a smiling Gabriel joking with Mccree. His younger self is there too, reading a report on an atrium after a mission, but the reporter seemed more interested in the Blackwatch leader than him. His voice sounds in the background, but he can hear perfectly the deep voice of Gabriel, making fun of Jesse and his aim, _'Kid! Feeling the jet lag, huh? You didn’t land a single shot in that high noon time of you! Maybe we have to buy you a new watch?”'_ Seeing his smile has always been contagious. Jack sighs, touching the screen with his fingertips while Gabriel keeps teasing poor Jesse. Selecting a playlist with a mix of music and some of the videos he has found, he puts the datapad under the pillow and closes his eyes. His dreams have been the only secure place in his heart these past years, and he welcomes them like an old friend… 

 

A loud sound on his door wakes him up, and his hand move directly to the rifle beside him, a set of feet visible through the slice of light under the door. Another set of knocks, followed by another, signals is Ana who is knocking on his door. With a grunt, he falls back to the bed, rifle crossed over his chest. “I’m awake.”

 

Ana’s voice, even muffled by the thick door, sounds pissed as hell. “Fine. Wash your sleep away and come to see me in the dining room. We have to talk.” She didn’t wait for him to answer before 

 

Jack know what is coming. As soon as Ana wake up and take a look at the recordings of the previous night, she will see it. She will witness how he has surrendered to him. He didn’t know if she has audio or not in her surveillance system, but the images will be enough to put her in furious mode. And damn, sometimes he hates always to be right. With a sigh, he puts down the rifle, using both hands to rub his eyes. The muffled sound of Gabriel’s voice reaches him, making him sigh, listening carefully to the words. _‘Yeah, we have fought together since the beginning of the Omnic crisis. Morrison is my best friend, and I will have him on my six anytime.’_ The memory of this conversation brings a grin to his face. They were talking with a journalist, during the celebration of the ten years anniversary of the end of the war. Mccree and Genji were there too, and the muffled giggles they tried to hide behind their hands left the journalist puzzled and the rest of them bursting in laughs. With the memory of that day shining brightly in his mind, he sits back, fishing the pad from under the pillow. Gabe is smiling broadly, with Jack himself blushing on one side, coughing while fighting his own chuckles. The feeling of something ripping apart his chest takes him again, like every morning, when he returns from the dreamland to a world where Gabriel is not beside him, where the darkness has taken him away and pulled them apart, creating a chasm bigger than an ocean between them. Turning off the datapad, Jack let it fall to his legs, trying to remember how to breathe while he feels his soul trying to escape from his body. Every single day since the explosion, he has felt his soul shattering. With every little step to avenge him, he wished to find his end and stop this agony. He thought that revenge would bring him peace, but it wasn’t, and knowing that he is still alive, he understands why he has never been capable of mending his soul. He lacks a part of it, turned in a dark and vengeful ghost. He will not have peace until his soul is whole again or he loses it completely. 

 

Taking a few minutes to reign his feelings, he stands from the bed, rubbing his eyes. Turning on the light, he repeatedly blinks until his eyes stop hurting. Using a little washbasin, he washes his face with cold water, using some more water to try and tame his unruly grey hair. The man who looks at him from the mirror seems stronger than he feels, but well, his dad always said that pain could crumble you from the insides. With a sigh, Jack straightens his back, fixing his gaze on his reflection, “And I am the living proof of your wise words, dad.” Pushing away from the little table, he returns to the bed, recovering his trousers and putting them on, before searching in his bag for a clean shirt. Once dressed, he sits back in the bed, fixing the boots on his feet before recovering the datapad from the bed and connecting it to the charger. With everything done, he didn’t have any more excuses to delay the inevitable. Standing from the bed, he leaves the room, closing the door behind him. 

 

The place Ana has selected as a base for her operations on El Cairo is an old abandoned factory. It still has all the walls and functional doors, and she has connected it again to the electric system. Following the hallway that leads to the centre of the building, he finds Ana leaning on the table, the screens around her showing the exterior of the building. The sun is still in the sky, but the colours of the sky have begun to change, signalling the sunset is close. He coughs when he is about to enter. Is not a good idea to surprise a sniper on her lair. She turns to look at him over her shoulder, motioning him inside. Her hand points to a corner of the table where food, water and coffee awaits, and Jack picks a plate of cold meat, bread and fruit, sitting on the edge of the table. He ate in silence, while she works with the computers. 

 

But finally, her gaze leaves the screens to fix her inquisitive eye on him. “Jack.”

 

Jack puts down the plate, serving himself a cup of coffee before answering. “Look, I know you are pissed--”

 

Her growl stops his words, and Jack looks at her, finding her hands closed in tight fists on her sides. “Pissed didn’t describe how I feel right now. Returning her attention to the screens behind her, she touches the controls, and the set of displays shows the images from the previous night. How he lays on his back, totally distracted by the picture on his hand. How Reaper appeared in the corner of the flat roof. How the other man observes him for some minutes before moving to tower over him. The exchange of words, Jack taking off his mask, the way Reaper throws his weapons before disappearing into the night, leaving an old soldier hugging his legs while looking in the direction where the assassin has run away. “You didn’t even try to fight, Jack. He would have killed you ten times in the few minutes he has been there. And you even raised a hand to stop him.”

 

“But he didn’t.”

 

She hits the table with an exasperated growl, “Damn, Morrison! I didn’t find you two, after so many years, to see how he kills you.”

 

Emptying the cup of coffee in a long sip, he puts it down before standing up. “Then I’ll be going in the morning. I will not raise my weapon against him again, Ana. We call him the Reaper. I will let him earn his name if it is indeed what he wants.”

 

“Wait, Jack…” She sighs, turning to face the screens, fixing her gaze on them giving him her back. “I--I understand. It is just painful to see. But I understand it.” Her eyes follow the shadow that is Gabriel Reyes on the screen, a knot forming on her stomach seeing the scene again. “I’m not happy about it, and I will pray for you two to talk with your mouths instead of your weapons.” Turning to face him, she leans her hip on the table, crossing her arms. “You know that killing you will destroy him completely, right? I don’t know what you two talked about, but you can see the hesitation on his hands when he points his weapons at you. A part of him wants to do it, and another didn’t want to. I can’t say what will happen if he succeeds, but I’ll put my money on it destroying the little of his heart that is still there.”

 

He is near the door, still giving her his back, hiding his face from her. Searching inside the pocket of his jacket, he recovers the little photography; the familiar pang of pain piercing his chest like every time he looks at it. “Time will say, Ana. Get some rest while you can. I’m gonna sit outside for a while. Good night.”

 

Ana watches him leave the room, head low and hands in his pockets. The red 76 in his back, a signal as bright as his white hair that the time has passed for them. With a sigh, she faces the screens again. The dark shadow of Reaper is just staring at him for more seconds than necessary before moving to threaten him. Raising a little hand, her fingers twitched, wanting to touch it, “I still have hope for you, Gabe.” Turning off the displays, she leaves the room, hoping that in the morning Jack will still be breathing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, a BIG thank you to the lovely [Ziane](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziane/pseuds/Ziane) for beta reading this work and being so supportive of my little OW adventure! ILY!
> 
> The next chapters will have a mix of present and past. I will put a header on every part to signal the change of 'timeline'. Let me know if it is hard to follow and I'll try to find a better way to separate it ;)
> 
> Thanks a lot for reading! Hope you are enjoying it, and I'll be waiting for your feedback ^__^

Night sky welcomes Jack when he reaches the flat roof. Its digital reproduction from his visor steals part of the beauty, but no one, not even him in this circumstances, can say that the show is not breathtaking. The Milky Way shines proudly over his head. A bright river of light, covered here and there by wandering clouds, and the Moon on full display. Jack stops in the middle of the roof, letting his head fall back while taking in the show around him. Like yesterday, the distant sounds of the city mixes with the ones from the desert behind them. The wind and some animals’ calls silence the honks and engines from El Cairo. After some minutes of contemplation, he returns to the door, examining the items Ana has left for him there. A little smile appears on his face when he finds a couple of blankets and a thermos bottle, probably filled with strong tea or black coffee. Closing the zip of the jacket, he sits with his back leaning on the wall near the door, wrapping himself with one of the blankets. 

 

An hour passes, and he stands up to straighten his muscles. Taking a quick look at the console screen, he makes a quick review of the security cams, checking the perimeter and sensors, finding everything fine. He recovers the thermos and walks to the edge of the roof, sitting on it with his legs hanging. Serving a cup of the mysterious liquid, he takes a tentative sip once he settles the thermos securely behind him. His nose ruffles when the intense flavour of the black coffee fills his mouth. 

 

“Your sweet tooth hasn’t changed with the rest, huh?”

 

Jack’s heart jumps, literally, inside his chest, part because of the voice startling him, the rest just because of the owner of the voice, but he controls his nerves before speaking. “The real Jack still exist inside this damaged package. I may be a bit scarred, but the little things remain there. Just like you keep enjoying surprising me.”

 

Keeping his gaze fixed in the sky, Jack takes little sips from his cup, waiting for the other man to act. When he finished his coffee and nothing happened, he puts the empty mug aside, turning his face over his shoulder to look for Reaper. The dark menace that is Gabriel Reyes is standing near the door, leaning on the wall, with a foot resting on it and one of the shotguns ready on hand. He just looks at him, not saying a word or moving a single muscle. With a sigh, Jack replenishes the cup, but instead of drinking, he offers it to Gabe. “Here. It is just as you like it. Bitter enough to put some hair on your chest.”

 

Reaper just tilts his head but ends up moving closer and sitting beside him near the edge, shotgun resting over his legs. “I still want to kill you.”

 

“Yeah, yeah. I got the message yesterday. But nothing has changed since last night. I’m not gonna fight you. I’m not even armed, so shot me if that’s what you want.”

 

Picking the coffee from Jack’s hand, Reaper sniffs the steaming cup, sighing contently when the scent of it reaches his nose. “So you still don’t want to fight? You are letting me down here, Sunshine.”

 

Jack leans back on his hands, his gaze fixed again in the sky. “No need to fight for a life I didn’t deserve or want anymore, Gabe.” They stay in silence for some minutes, until a little chuckle leaves Jack, making Reaper look at him with a tilted head, mask still in place and a cup full of coffee in his hand. Jack catches him staring and shakes his head. “I’m not crazy yet, well, not more than before. I just remembered the first time you called me Sunshine.”

 

Reaper lowers his face, fixing his eyes on the steaming cup on his hands. After some seconds, his shoulders fall and he sighs, the noise came out strange through the mask, “Yeah. That was a long time ago, Jack.”

 

####  **~~~~~~~~~~ SEP DAYS ~~~~~~~~~~**

 

A loud thud signals the landing off of the transport. Jack is already unfastening his seatbelt before the general travelling with them gives the order. The military grade transport is full of young and not so young soldiers, some fresh from the academy like him, others battered warriors with years of experience over their shoulders. But here he is, surrounded by what the general called _‘the best the army has to offer’_. He is barely a man, damn, he even had enough age to drink legally, but when the Omnic crisis started, he was debating what to do with his life, and his soul called him to serve. Joining the army, he spent the next months learning how to be a good soldier, from hand to hand combat to weaponry. His good-hearted nature and natural leadership caught the eye of the brass, and after his first mission on La Guardia, he was offered the chance to join the worst guarded secret of the government. And here he is, in the middle of nowhere, ready to join the Soldier Enhancement Program. 

 

The general is standing near the door, waiting for the soldiers to stand up and follow. Jack recovers his bag from under the seat; they aren’t allowed to bring too much with them. Hanging it from his shoulders, he steps in line with the rest, following the general outside the transport. Once in the open, Jack takes a good look around. The base is not a big one, a couple of buildings around the landing area, just beside a mountain. One didn’t need to be a genius to know that this base is more than meet the eye. A group of soldiers pass beside them, dressed entirely in black, no rank, no ids on their clothing. Their stroll is quicker than average, the few seconds he has to follow them running around is enough for him to see how effortlessly are they running. They are a bunch of big soldiers, men and women alike, but their large bodies didn’t stop them for look graceful and agile. Shaking his head, he returned his attention to the General, who is being greeted by a team of scientist and other military high-rank officers. The group aligns in front of them, standing in parade rest, bags resting on their feet.

 

Time goes by with them waiting. Jack, like the rest of the team, is trying hard to keep his eyes away from the general, fixing his gaze on the mountain in front of him. During the long minutes, they stay there, ignored by their superiors, Jack’s eyes risk quick glances to them before returning as soon as possible to the mountain. They keep taking between them, with the general pointing to them while who seems to be the head of the medical team is taking notes. At last, just when the other group of soldiers return, the general walks to them, stopping a few steps away from the first soldier on the line. “Welcome to AEN.” The one leading the other team makes them form in front of the newcomers. “You have been chosen because we believe you can be more than you actually are. Here, in the middle of nowhere, away from everything you knew and feel comfortable about, we will push your boundaries. Take a look at the soldier in front of you.” Jack fixes his gaze on the woman in front of him. Her hair is a dark shade of red, and her white skin is dotted with freckles and moles everywhere. Piercing blue eyes fixed on the transport behind him. He lets his gaze move over her shoulders, seeing the bulk of muscles under the black shirt. Her arms are bigger than his, and he has been considered a big guy, even when he joined the army. Returning his gaze to her face, he finds her smirking softly, and she winks at him, making him grin. The voice of the general makes them return to their stern looks. “They have been here merely a couple of months, and I, having brought them here like I’m doing with you lot, can assure you that this program will be the key to stop the Omnic.” Soft clasp from the scientist and the other officials makes the general take a break on his discourse. 

 

The one that seems to be in charge, a dark-haired woman with big brown eyes steps beside the general. “Welcome to the SEP, soldiers. I’m doctor Arenth. You have signed voluntarily to this. I will ask again, one by one, if you want to stay, and you will have the chance to leave this place with the General if you have second thoughts about the program.” The woman walks until she is standing proudly in front of the first soldier. Her tiny frame look dwarfed surrounded by the soldiers and the around her. She extends her hand, waiting for the soldier to grab it. When he didn’t do it, she sighs, “I’m not in the army, Mister Laurent.” 

 

The general’s voice resounds in the silence of the landing area, “At ease, soldiers.” The full group exhales loudly, keeping the position but letting their shoulders go down, relaxing their muscles. 

 

Laurent grabs the doctor’s hand, shaking it. “Better. Please, take a look at this document and if you agree, sign at the bottom of it. If not, please, pick up your belongings and return to the transport, the General will take you back to your base.” The man begins to read it, eyes hurrying over the words. The doctor keeps talking meanwhile, “There is no shame for having second thoughts, soldiers. It is a significant decision. Some of you are too young to my liking,” Her eyes stops briefly in Jack before keep talking, “Others are maybe too old to change your way of think or work, but it is your decision. I will not lie to you. This is the future, and we might find some difficulties on our way to it. Problems that can lead to permanent damage to your bodies or even death. Besides, this place is totally isolated from the rest of the world. You will not have any contact with your family and friends for as long as the program goes. The ones you have around you will be your friends, family and brothers in arms for the rest of your instruction. Trying to leave the installation or contact the outside will be prosecuted and chastised.” Laurent has already signed the document while she talked, and the doctor smiles at him when he returns the pad to her. “Perfect. Next Missis Martin.” She keeps moving down the line, giving the pad to every one of them, waiting for them to read it and sign it. One of the veterans returns the pad unsigned without even reading it, saluting her and the general before picking up his bag and returning to the transport. She just smiles at him, moving to the next in the line. 

 

The girl just beside Jack is shifting her position nervously, making the man in front of her roll his eyes. When the doctor stops in front of her, she raises a hand to grab the pad but lowers it before reaching it, shaking her head. “I can’t-- my little girl-- I can’t shut her off. Sorry, doctor. I’m willing to give my life, but I can’t give my reason to fight.”

 

With a soft smile, the doctor pats her shoulder, “And we are grateful for your service, lieutenant.” The woman salutes them, and returns to the transport, bag hanging from her hand. Arenth stops in front of Jack, repeating the same ritual, extending a hand for him to clasp it. He does it, shaking it with a strong grip. She smiles at him, “John Morrison.”

 

He returns the little smile, “Please, call me Jack, John is my father.” She nods, and he picks up the pad from her hands, reading the confidentiality contract on it. He reads it as quick as possible, taking in the little differences with the previous one. It didn't reveal anything threatening for the program but gives them a better understanding of where they will be. At the complete mercy of the medical team, human guinea pigs for the scientist team. Taking a look at the soldiers in front of him, he makes up his mind, signing the document before returning it. The redhead in front of him gives him a nod and the man beside her nods approvingly. Finishing with the line, they ended being just three soldiers less than the ones that arrived on the transport. Arenth returns with the general, giving the pad to one of her aides. “After the formalities, let me give you a real welcome.” With a mischievous grin, she looks to the attired black group, “Guys, you will have to give the new ones the tour, and share your dorms, you have been pretty comfortable until now, time to share that big space and make them feel at home.” A grunt escapes some of them, and the most offended of the group is the dark-skinned one beside the redhead. The doctor seems to see it and moves closer to him. “Any problem with that, Reyes?”

 

“I didn’t join the SEP to go babysitting the new recruits, doc.”

 

Arenth chuckles, ignoring the tone of his voice, even when the insubordinate words make the general snort. “Then we are gonna make it easy for you, Reyes. You have the greatest rank of your unit, will you like to be paired with the high ranking of the newcomers?”

 

Now is his turn to snort, making the doctor smirk grow, “Not at all, doc. A rank didn’t show one's value.” 

 

“Fair enough. Then we are gonna make it a little competition. It will be good for my numbers too.” Giving her back to Reyes, she turns to face the newcomers, but her eyes are fixed on Jack. “Let’s make a little wrestling, will you? Pair with the one to your left, the winner will fight with the winner of the next pair. The one who wins the combats will share the room with Reyes, and the next will be moving down the command line.”

 

“Really, doc?”

 

She chuckled, seeing the discomfort clearly written on the soldiers’ faces, and the raised brow that Reyes is sporting. “Come on, Reyes. It will be fun, and it will give you the chance to see the strengths of the new guys before we begin with the treatments.”

 

The redhead in front of Jack gives him a thumbs up before stepping to hold his bag, “Kick their asses, Sunshine. I’m the second in line after Reyes, fight hard enough, and you can end with me.” With a wink, she steps away, and Jack’s gaze finds the other man looking at him, arms crossed and wearing a pissed face. _‘That man didn’t like me, at all, and we even have crossed a single word. Damn…’_

 

The soldiers take positions. Jack's pair is the first to step into the circle formed by the rest of the soldiers. Reyes stays in the first line, and as soon as the two contenders are positioned, his deep voice breaks the silence, making them look at him. “Rules are easy. You will wrestle as you have learned during your training days. If I see an illegal movement, you will be out. If you bite, hit a sensible area, hit the face, you will be out. Is Greco-roman style, so I will call it an end when one of you reaches five points or the other contender yields.” Taking a look around to the rest of the newcomers, he asks, “Are the rules clear enough?” Everyone nods, including Jack and his partner, Rodriguez. “Then go ahead, show me what you got.”

 

The doctors are around them too, one of them has opened a little recorder and is filming everything from a corner of the improvised ring. Jack takes a second to take off his jacket, letting it fall beside Reyes before returning to the centre of the circle. He uses some seconds to study his rival. He is waiting for him, upper body low, aligned with his waist, arms to the sides. Jack takes a deep breath before stepping in front of him, mimicking his stance. The loud _‘now’_ screamed by Reyes get lost in the roaring of his own blood. The other marine charges against him, but his years wrestling in high school give him the edge he needs. Rodriguez tries to capture his upper body, and Jack evades him easily, clashing with him from the side and making the other man lose his equilibrium, falling to the ground with Jack on top. Before he can react, Jack pins him to the ground, a hand around his neck and shoulder, keeping his arm controlled, legs captured with his knees and using his body weight to keep the other arm pinned to the floor. Rodriguez tries to free himself to no avail, and after some seconds of suffering the grapple, he yields loudly. Jack let him go as quickly as possible, rolling away from him, ending in front of Reyes. The other man raises a brow at him, but he can’t hide the little smirk on the corner of his lips. “Morrison wins this round, well fought. Next pairing.” 

 

Jack moves to help Rodriguez stand, clasping hands with him. The other soldier is rolling his shoulder, making it crack, “Damn, Morrison, next time you can go easier on me.”

 

Chuckling softly, Jack walks with him outside the ring, pushing his shoulder. “You will need to treat me to a dinner before I take it easy on you, Rodriguez.” They find the spot previously occupied by the new pair in the ring. Jack uses the time to study the rest of the soldiers. If he has to fight them, he will give the best he can. Not because he wants to share Reyes’ room, but he never loses at anything if he can fight it. The other three pairs fight unrelenting and hard. None of them has a quick victory as him, which gives Jack the chance to study their future rivals. The one he fears more is Harris, a fellow soldier from his training, hard as a sequoia and hard-headed as him. Reyes didn’t give them time to rest, pairing Jack with the second winner as soon as Harris wins her combat. 

 

When Jack steps into the ring, the redhead winks at him, “Come on, Sunshine, you are one step closer to share my room. I will treat you right.”

 

Jack is used to this kind of comments from his years on the football and wrestling teams, and he just gives her a half bow before stopping in front of his adversary. This one will be difficult. He is broader than him, with muscular arms and legs, and almost a head taller than him. Giving him a nod, he prepared his stance, aligning his shoulders with his opponent and waiting for the signal. When the voice of Reyes breaks the silence, the other soldier takes a step forward, launching his arms to grab Jack. He uses his arms to push his hands aside, trying to catch his right one and failing. He danced around one another for several seconds, launching and avoiding attacks. But all the time the strategic mind of Jack has been thinking in a way to make him bite the dust. At last, he finds the break he has been waiting for. Jack dodges the attack, but instead of moving to one side, he slips under the other man’s arm, surrounding him and wrapping both arms around his chest. Using the inertia of the movement, he arches his back, making the other fall over him. The air is stolen from his chest with the falling, but years of practice makes him ignore it, moving his hands quickly to grab his opponent’s neck, forcing him down while pinning the shoulders in a painful angle. Adding the legs to the equation, Jack steals any chance to move from the other soldier, keeping the pressure until he yields. Letting him go, he helps the other soldier to sit back, patting his back and helping him stand. Again, when he looks to Reyes, Jack finds him smiling and nodding approvingly. 

 

The next combat is not a surprise to Jack, Harris winning it with a well executed choking manoeuvre. She didn’t leave the ring, hands on her hips and a cocky smile on her face. “Morrison, I didn’t have all day, come here and let me kick your ass.”

 

“In your dreams, Harris.” He returns the smile easily. They have fought hard and long during their training days.Being the two of them of similar background, they trained together almost weekly for the four months they have stayed on the same base. Jack extends a hand, fist closed, and she clashes their vambraces together. They have shared long hours reading about the Crusaders and decided to adopt their signature salute as their opening in every training combat they made, and this one will not be different, whatever the reason and the audience. Taking positions, they lock their gazes in the other eyes, waiting for the signal.

 

By the time Reyes gives the _'go'_ , they have already erased the full group of soldiers around them, the sound of their chattering. The only thing that exists for them now is the other fighter. Jack moves his eyes quickly between her shoulders and feet, just like she is doing with him. As in the previous combat, they exchanged some attacks before she reaches him, grabbing his arm in a deadly grip. Twisting it, he frees himself, but can’t keep the hold on her hand, and they begin to dance around another again. After a couple of minutes of giving and taking to no avail, Jack decides to risk his victory doing a reckless movement. The next time she tries to catch him, he raises his arms, letting her wraps hers around his chest. In a heartbeat, he grabs her arms, forcing her shoulders on a painful hold. Having her secured, he lowers his centre of gravity, forcing her to follow. She seems to understand his movement, but it is too late. Jack throws his body back, unbalancing her, the supplex perfectly executed, making her fall hard to the concrete. The huff he stoles from her gets lost in the cheering of the rest of the team. Letting her go, Jack sits back, looking around and crossing his gaze with Reyes. The other man nods approvingly before patting the redhead back, who is pouting beside her. “I’m sorry, McConnell, seems like Sunshine is for me.”

 

The redhead puts Jack’s bag on Reyes’ arms while sticking her tongue. “Fine. She is not bad at all, but damn, I will have love to see his blonde ass leaving the showers every morning.” The comment makes Jack chuckle while helping Harris to stand up, who pushes his shoulders playfully before moving away.

 

Arenth, who has been watching all the combats, claps her hand hard enough to make the chattering end. “Enough for now. Now that we have the room distribution settled take them to there and give the newcomers the tour, please. Get them ready for the first session of the treatment tomorrow with the first light.”

 

Jack closes the distance to Reyes, who is holding his bag and jacket. When the other soldier passes him his things, Jack puts it on and hangs the bag on his shoulder, extending a hand to Reyes. “Seems you are stuck with me for a while. Jack Morrison.”

 

Reyes studies his face for several seconds before clasping the offered hand. “Gabriel Reyes. Nice to meet you, Sunshine.” 

 

Rolling his eyes, Jack follows him once the taller man starts walking. “How can I get rid of the nickname?”

 

Looking over his shoulder, Reyes smiles wickedly to him before opening the door that leads into the compound, “You will need to earn a new one or dye your blonde locks. But I’m sure McConnell will keep calling you Sunshine anyway.”

 

With a sigh, Jack takes the first step inside the place that will be his home for the next months, “Well, I’ve been called worse.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like cookies for writers! Save the day, leave a comment and feed our writers souls xDDDD


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, thanks a lot to the lovely [Ziane](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ziane/pseuds/Ziane) for beta reading this work and keep up with me and my obsession xDDD
> 
> This chapter has the POV of Gabriel from the last one, including the past days, but this one develops a bit more the flashback ^^
> 
> Let me know what you think about it! I'll love to hear from you if you are enjoying my angsty story so far <3 Thanks for reading!!!!!
> 
> PS: I will take a little break, probably until January. I have a lot of xmas fics to write xDDD but I'll be back, I PROMISE! I need to make them happy <3

Melancholy dripped from Jack like water, and even Gabe, in his constant angry state, can feel it. The night is not going where Reaper has hoped. Since last night, when he has found Jack grasping an old pic of them, something he believed dead has stirred to life. He has reached the roof with a single idea on mind, finishing what he started yesterday, but seeing him sitting there, ruffling his nose to the bitter flavour of whatever he was drinking, has been like a kick in the guts. Words escaped his control before he can’t control them, and soon, he finds himself just watching a relaxed Soldier 76, a man who is ignoring the killing machine standing on his back. After some minutes of just being there in silence, Jack offers him a cup of coffee, and for whatever reason, he can’t stop his body to move and sit near him, picking up the steaming cup and inhaling its scent lovingly. It is the kind of dark coffee Ana loved to prepare, Egyptian style, brewed directly in a little copper pot, tarnished by years of use. He can see her clearly in his mind, doing the morning ritual of heating the water, adding the few sugar she adds to it, the enormous quantity of high-quality ground roasted coffee… A simple scent is bringing back memories he has thought lost, and with them, a stinging pain is taking control of his heart, crushing it in a vice grip that threatens to destroy him. They talked, well, it was more like Reaper growling at him and Jack taking all his shit and just smiling, and then Jack says the words that wake up some well-buried memories. 

 

The moments when his brain is filling itself with images of a young Jack reaching the SEP facility are a mix of feelings. It pained him, seeing him as he was, knowing what will come after that first day, but it warms his heart like nothing before in the last six years. Seeing the younger version of the scarred man beside him makes his heart melt. Trying to control his brain, he pushes aside the mask, not enough for giving Jack a full view of his face, but letting his chin and mouth available, taking a sip of the cup on his hand at last. He tries to ignore the soft gasp of the man beside him but knows very well how unhealthy his skin looks. But instead of a comment about it, a soft sigh escapes Jack’s mouth, making him turn to face him. Jack is facing him, fingers toying with the hem of his sleeves, which gives Gabe an idea of how nervous he really is. “You haven’t changed a bit, Gabe.”

 

Those words make Reaper stop breathing. How can he not see the discoloured tint of his skin, the new scars that form and disappear on his face every few minutes when he keeps his solid form? And then everything fell into place when he thought of his visor. He isn’t wearing it, and he will probably can’t see him properly. He still didn’t know the extent of his eyesight damage. He is trying to decide if this is a good thing or not because he can swear Jack is fidgeting his clothes to keep his hands away from him, and sadly for him, a big part of his heart wishes he will do it. Turning to face the city, he uses the cup in his hand to distract his mind, but the flavour isn’t helping. Soon, his mind is bringing back images from a past long forgotten, from the days he has been happy with his silly Boy Scout…

 

####  **~~~~~~~~~~ SEP DAYS ~~~~~~~~~~**

 

They know a new set of recruits will arrive today, the last they will have until the program can show some results to the brass. They had been around fifty soldiers when he joined, and now only eleven are left, the hard training and the adverse reactions to the treatments had diminished their numbers exponentially with every passing month. But the rookies are not his responsibility yet, and he has a bunch of enhanced soldiers to train. They have made their usual round in the gym, with some hand to hand training, cardio training and weight lift. Every week he passes in the program, he can lift ten pounds more, which is an impressive feat for the doctors. After three hours in the gym, he makes the team drink some water before guiding them to the outside. It was a typical part of the training, but the real reason was he just wants to take a look to the newcomers as soon as they reach the base. They made it to the landing area just in time to see the transport touching down the ground. The full team of scientists is already there, with some of the brasses that only put a foot inside the base when a General is about to come. Reyes snarls to them, before doing the team run around the open yard, keeping a discreet eye on the door of the transport, knowing the rest of the group is doing the same. Nobody can blame them. The women and men on this ship will be their brothers in arms for the rest of the program, or as long as they can survive it. A little bit of curiosity is a normal feeling. 

 

When the door finally opens, they are reaching the farthest side of the landing area, doing a little circle while the soldiers inside the transport leave it. As soon as they reach the rampart, they turn back to face the newcomers. The soldiers are forming in a line in front of the ship, while the general talks with the scientist. One of them signals Reyes to stop, and he guides the group to form in front of the newcomers. He let his gaze roam over their faces. One of them catches his eye. A blonde boy, a few years younger than him and maybe too young for this program. He is standing proud, exchanging a soft smile with McConnell, which makes him rolls his eyes at the display. Soon enough, the general gives the customary discourse, leaving it open for Arenth to follow. One by one, he studies them while they read the contract, seeing some twitches on their faces when the strange details of it enter their mind. Some of them didn’t hesitate, others just dropped the façade and put the contract down, going back to the ship that will lead them back home. When the woman in front of him begins to stutter before walking defeated to the transport, Reyes already hates the whole process. It is a contract full of silences and half lies, and it can be hard for someone who has been serving in the army for many years as him… but then the blonde guy talked, making him stop dwelling on his own thoughts. The bastard has a deep voice, maybe too big for him, but the program will take care of it soon enough. “Please, call me Jack, John is my father.” He has to suppress a little grin, which ends sounding like a snort, making McConnell looks at him with a raised brow before returning her attention to the new guy. He takes his time to read the contract, signing in and looking at them, giving them a soft smile when they nod their approval. 

 

Finishing the line, Arenth returned beside the general, “After the formalities, let me give you a real welcome.” The smug grin on her face signals Reyes she knows what their words will do to him, “Guys, you will have to give the new ones the tour, and share your dorms, you have been pretty comfortable until now, time to share that big space and make them feel at home.” Reyes grunts openly, rolling his eyes and closing his hands into tight fists, “Any problem with that, Reyes?”

 

His frown just intensified, raising his shoulders and looking directly into her eyes, “I didn’t join the SEP to go babysitting the new recruits, doc.”

 

As always, the doctor indulges Reyes more than the brass, answering him with a little chuckle, “Then we are gonna make it easy for you, Reyes. You have the greatest rank of your unit, will you like to be paired with the high ranking of the newcomers?”

 

“Not at all, doc. A rank didn’t show one's value.” The disdain is clearly written in his face and tone, and the general raises a brow at him, but can’t say a word against his logic.

 

With a knowing smile, she steps closer to him, “Fair enough. Then we are gonna make it a little competition. It will be good for my numbers too.” Giving her back to Reyes, she turns to face the newcomers, “Let’s make a little wrestling, will you? Pair with the one to your left, the winner will fight with the winner of the next pair. The one who wins the combats will share the room with Reyes, and the next will be moving down the command line.”

 

A surprised gasp leaves Gabriel, and the doctor looks at him over her shoulder with a little smile on her face. “Really, doc?” 

 

She looks like the cat that got the milk, knowing she has already won. “Come on, Reyes. It will be fun, and it will give you the chance to see the strengths of the new guys before we begin with the treatments.” 

Gabriel crosses his arms with a deep frown, looking at the newcomers. His eyes find the golden boy again, while McConnell pesters him. With any luck, he will be paired with someone bearable… Wait, where this that thought came from?

 

When the circle of soldiers and scientist is formed to create a little ring, he waits for the combatants to step inside. The first combat is between the blonde and a soldier called Rodriguez. With a loud voice, he stated the rules, looking around the circle waiting for the group to nod in understanding. As soon as he gets it, he crosses his arms again, ready for the combat. The golden boy steps closer to him, taking off his jacket on their way and letting it fall on their feet before returning to the improvised ring. Gabriel can’t fight against it, following his movements with his eyes. McConnell sees him, and punches his ribs with her elbow, making Gabriel growl at her before returning his attention to the ring. After few seconds of the combat, Gabe can swear that the golden boy knows how to move. His stance is perfect, his concentration complete, closing away every sound around him, fixed on his opponent. You can see in his face the willing to win, but doing it with a little smirk, showing how much he enjoys the challenge. Soon enough, Morrison has the other man pinned to the ground, choking him and hurting his shoulder until he yields. The winner ended on Gabe’s feet while rolling away from the fallen one, and the older man can’t stop the little smirk growing on his face, declaring him the winner of the combat.

 

The rest of the combats pass in a quick succession, while the doctors take notes and record them. At last, Morrison and a woman called Harris are the finalists. They seem to know each other from before the SEP, which makes Gabriel raise a brow, interested. If the two better warriors he has seen on the newcomer’s group have trained together, the combat will be an interesting one… They exchange some puns and salute one another in the Crusader’s way, making him roll his eyes at the show. But as soon as he gives the signal, they begin to circle one another, the playfulness erased from their faces and stances. Exchanging some hits and trying to grab one another, they danced in front of his eyes. He can’t resist the temptation, letting his eyes roam over the bodies in front of him. Both of them are easy on the eye, with her short black hair and green eyes, and the blonde sculpture that is Morrison. But he can’t let the show distract him from controlling the combat, and he returns his attention to their movements, the grapples of their hands and the kicks of their arms. After some minutes of giving and take, he can see the exact moment when Morrison decides to be bold, a little smirk showing on his face while he relaxes his stance just a fraction. Gabe smirk mimics his as soon as she eats the bite like a hungry fish. In the blink of an eye, he has her flying over his shoulder with a perfect supplex, making her lost her breath when crashing on the ground.

 

After that, everything was settled rapidly, with a Morrison presenting himself to Gabriel with the brightest smile he has seen in years. _‘The Sunshine nickname suits him too well…’_ Once the rest of the pairings has been done, he beckons to him while walking to a grey door in the closest building. Morrison's eyes travel around them while Gabriel walks inside the base. It was drilled directly into the mountain, with some hallways showing a rock wall on them. Jack touches these areas with his fingertips, keeping his full attention on Gabriel while he talks. “The dorms are on the other side of the mountain.” They pass beside a white big double door and Gabriel points at it without slowing his stride, “We call this area the hell room, but the doctors like to call it the scientific wing of the base. You will see it soon enough.”

 

Morrison stops to look at the door with a frown before double timing to catch up with Gabe. “It truly works, isn’t? You loot, look too big and too graceful to be real.”

 

Stopping and leaning on a wall, Gabriel fixes his gaze on Jack, “Yeah. I was shorter than you are when I joined, and not as big built as yourself. I’ve been lucky and didn’t get so sick with the treatments.” Jack is looking to his body, up and down, and something in the back of Gabe’s mind is enjoying the feeling, maybe a bit too much. “Your mom never told you that staring is not polite, golden boy?”

 

A cute blush appears on Jack’s face, which wins a little smile from Gabe. “Oops, sorry. I still can believe they can do what they have done with you and the others. Can’t wait to begin.”

 

Shaking his head, Gabriel leaves the wall and resume his walking, “We can talk about it tomorrow, when they have pierced your skin so many times and in so many places that you can’t touch yourself for hours.” The boy’s brow rise, eyes opened in surprise, and Gabe can’t stop the little chuckle, “Yeah, we’ll see. Anyway,” He signals a hallway to their right, “this leads to the gym and training facilities. We spend the morning here, they did some test on us in the evening, and have the rest of the day to chill and lick our wounds.” Taking a secondary hallway to their left, Gabe points back over his shoulder, “The door on the end of the hallway we just left leads to the other side of the mountain but is barred and secured. This way we have the communal areas, like the library and the games room. Here,” He points to a big door in the middle of the hallway, “is the mess room. They have food available 24/7, but the meals are served with and schedule. You can eat them here or took them to your room, your choice.” They keep walking for a couple of minutes more, until they reach a new set of double doors and Gabriel pushes them, signalling Jack to cross it first. The next hallway is filled with identical grey doors, each with a sensor beside it. Gabe walks until they reach the end of the hall. Touching the sensor beside the door, it opened, showing a living area with a big couch, and a little kitchenette with a breakfast area. Stepping aside, he gives Jack a big smile, “Welcome to your new home, Sunshine.”

 

Jack returns the smile, stepping into the room while looking around, taking in all the details. The bag hangs loosely from his shoulder, and he almost jumps startled when Gabe takes it from him. Blushing again for the display, he stops his examination of the room to face Gabe. “It looks cosy.”

 

With a shrug, Gabriel walks to a set of twin doors behind the couch. “You will spend here lots of hours, making it comfortable is the least they can do. Come, I’ll show you to your room.” With a nod, Jack follows him. Opening the door, he enters the room, leaving the bag on the bed. “The bathroom is the door beside the kitchen. We have a big shower and no water restrictions, but keep the leisure washing for the nights. On the morning, we need to be ready ASAP. My room is the one beside it. Get yourself comfortable, and we will talk about the rules. I wasn’t planning to share my space with anybody, and we need to put some boundaries.” 

 

“Fair enough. Give me five minutes to empty my bag and change my clothes.”

 

Nodding, Gabriel leaves the room, closing the door behind him. Closing the distance to the couch, he orders a bit the movie collection and the few books he has borrowed from the library. Reyes is a tidy man, but this was his inner sanctum, and he neglected it a bit the last few days. He hates sharing room, but this space is big enough for them to not clash into one another. At last, when he is happy with how the living area looks, he moves to the kitchenette, starting to brew some coffee in a metallic espresso maker. The scent of it fills the room quickly. When it’s ready, he grabs two mugs from a cabinet, filling them half the way. He has a hunch about how the golden boy will take his coffee, and he puts the milk and the sugar beside the mugs with a half smile on his face, before filling his own almost to the brink. 

 

Jack appears before Gabe can take the first sip of coffee, wearing a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants. Sipping his coffee, at last, he uses the time to examine him while he puts a generous amount of sugar and milk in his mug, making Gabe smirk behind the brim of his own,  _‘I still have it.’_

 

Picking up the coffee from the table, Jack takes a long sip, sighing when the taste of the well-brewed coffee fills his mouth. “Delicious. Thanks, Reyes. And sorry for imposing myself on you. I can stay in my room--”

 

Gabriel raises a hand to stop the rattling, putting the mug on the counter before crossing his arms, “Stop the nonsense, Morrison. The place is big enough for the two of us. We only need to learn how to stay around one another.” 

 

Jack’s hand ends tangled in his hair, scratching his nape. “Yeah, sorry.” When Gabe rolls his eyes, the blonde’s face turns to a soft pink tone, “I know, I have to stop apologising for everything. Is an old habit.” Putting down the mug, he sits on one of the stools near the breakfast table. “Your place, your rules.”

 

Recovering the mug from the counter, Gabe moves to the couch, sitting on it and beckoning Jack with a tilt of his head. Jack nods, standing swiftly and picking up his coffee, sitting on the opposite side of the couch, leaning on the armrest and crossing his legs. Gabe chuckles with the display, sipping from his mug before continuing. “Is not like I have a list of rules, Sunshine. Is more like common sense rules.” When Jack nods, waiting for him to keep going, he shakes his head slightly, “The most important, our rooms are private space. We can’t enter if the other is not inside, and only if we have permission. We can stay up at night, but if the other goes to sleep, we need to keep the noise to a minimum. Besides that, this is now your place too. Keep it tidy, don’t mess with my things and we will get along pretty well.” Taking another sip, he smirks at Jack, “And yeah, you can put your feet on the couch, golden boy.”

 

The blushing showing again on Jack’s face makes Gabe’s grin grow. Shifting a bit while sipping his coffee, Jack still looks a bit nervous, “Good rules. Can I ask questions?”

 

Shrugging, Gabe sits more comfortably, facing Jack and leaning half in the backrest and half in the armrest, with an elbow resting on it. “Sure, but I’m not obliged to answer, and it goes both ways, Boy Scout.” A roll of his eyes makes Gabe smile,  _‘It will be fun pestering him.’_

 

“Fair enough. Can you tell me something about your background? You seem to be the boss here, but you must be just a couple of years older than me.”

 

Taking a long sip from the mug, Gabe tries to find a good way to talk about his past years on the military. “I’m 26 right now, but I’ve been serving since 18. And almost all this years I’ve been part of the SOF. I stayed alive and survived more missions than anyone in the SOF and the last year I’ve been training the new recruits until the SEP called. And you?”

 

“Wow. SOF veteran? Just WOW. My story is very boring compared to that. I joined the military as soon as I had the age to do it. I’ve been in the army for the past six years. After the training, I’ve been moving around the country. I was getting ready to take my sergeant exams when the SEP offer appeared.”

 

Gave nods slightly, finishing the coffee and putting the mug on a side table behind him. “Let me guess. You joined because you wanted to serve? First to enter, last to leave?”

 

Jack’s eyes fall to the mug resting on his knee, “Something like that. I will not lie to you, I’m an idealistic bastard, and I wanted to serve, to make a difference. The Omnic attacks started when I was about to decide what to do with my life, and I chose to serve. My parents hoped for me getting tired of it in a couple of years, but here I am, six years later. I still didn’t know why the brass has chosen me for the SEP…”

 

“I’ve seen your fighting skills, and you move well from someone of your size, Sunshine. Are you good with weapons?”

 

A smug smile appears on the blonde’s face, making Gabriel rolls his eyes, “I’m pretty handy with a pulse rifle, yeah. Perfect scores in all my practices.”

 

“Don’t brag about it here, all of us have perfect scores with our weapons, golden boy. I will assume you are good with people?”

 

Jack shrugs before finishing his coffee and letting the mug in the floor, “You can say that, yes.”

 

“There you have it. A perfect prom king to create the perfect soldier. Don’t think about it. You are here, right?”

 

Jack smile is big and bright as the sun, making Gabriel, who usually is a stern person, returns it before breaking eye contact. He can see Jack shifting his position to unfold his legs, “Yeah, here I am.”

 

####  **~~~~~~~~~~ PRESENT ~~~~~~~~~~**

 

The memories hurt like hell. Gabe feels the pain like a physical punch in the guts, feeling pressure on his chest, an invisible hand grasping his heart and squeezing it. He tries to distract himself with the coffee on his hands, taking long sips of it while they keep their silence for some minutes. Risking a glance to Jack, he finds him with his gaze locked on his hands, fingers interlaced. He can hear the cogs moving inside his head, and can’t fight the snort leaving him, making the other man turn to face him. “Spill it, Morrison.”

 

“I was trying to remember when all our lives had gone FUBAR…” Bending a leg, Jack rests the chin on it, gaze fixed in the distant lights of El Cairo. “Zurich was the cream of the cake. But I’ve spent the last six years trying to understand what gone wrong, what happened to us--”

 

Gabriel hits the ground with the empty mug, “YOU! Damn, Jack! You and your stubbornness! How many times did I try to warn you? How many times did you put away my ideas, my suspicions? For how long you expected for me to remain idle when I was seeing the work of our lives, our fucking future, being destroyed? Joder--” Standing up, the only sound that breaks the silence and the background noise is the cracking of the leather coat he wears. “I didn’t come here to show you why you deserve to die, Morrison.”

 

A purple smoke flows from his feet and crossing the arms over his chest, and Reaper begins to disappear from the roof. Jack raises a hand, trying to stop him, “Then kill me! I chose death over a life without you, knowing that you are alive and have decided to live it without me…” 

 

The last words we cried to the night, loud enough to let Reaper hear them from the ground level. Something on his chest pains, a fucking lot. He feels like a knife piercing his heart with every step he takes away from him. Closing his hands into tight fists, Reaper hits the wall beside him, the metal on his knuckles making sparks appear. He hits it again and again, and again, until he feels the pain in his hands over the one in his chest. Leaning the forehead on the wall, he sighs inside the mask. “I need to sever that tie or this time he will kill me for sure…” Taking a series of deep breaths, he pushes himself from the wall after some minutes, leaving the compound and losing himself between the shadows of the buildings. He has to make a decision, an important one. He has to decide if he has the will to kill him now when he is begging for it or not. And damn be all the gods in the sky, is the hardest one of his life, and his actual no-life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like cookies for writers! Save the day, leave a comment and feed our writers souls xDDDD


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! Finally! I missed them so much >_<
> 
> Here you have another chapter, full of angst and fluffy moments xD They are going to be alrigth, I promise hahaha
> 
> Big thanks to Ziane and Linaloe for the help reviewing it <3 luv u!
> 
> And thanks for reading! These two are the main reason I ended on the OW fandom, and I love them to the bits *_*

Coppery light from the rising sun paints the sky, turning the dark night into shades of purple and light blue. Jack is still sitting near the edge, hugging his bent legs, chin resting on his knee while his half blind eyes are fixed on the distant city. He has been just like that since Gabe left the roof.

 

Ana has woken up before sunrise. The fear of finding him dead was one she couldn’t fight in the darkness of her room. Instead, she has woken up, showered and sneaked to the control room, to look to the security feed. Her heart feels lighter as soon as she sees him breathing, but after several minutes of examining him, and seeing him unmoving, the fear comes back, not over his life, but his very soul. With nervous fingers, she taps the sequence of keys to load the feed from last night. As she feared, Gabe has come back, but his weapon has not even aimed at him when he appeared on the roof. They exchange words, and after what look like ages, Gabe leaves the wall to join Jack on the edge of the roof to share a cup of coffee. Something melts inside Ana’s chest seeing them. She has been there when their love has blossomed, when they filled any hole in the other soul, being more than themselves when they were together. But she has been there too when the pressure has broken Jack, when his will to follow orders, to be upright, has created the chasm between them. Ana has tried, Gods have she tried, to convince him to listen to Gabe’s doubts, to read the myriad of reports he has written about the irregularities, the security breaches, the briberies, but everything has been pushed aside. Jack couldn’t believe someone wanted to destroy something as pure and necessary as Overwatch, and these believes had been his undoing. 

 

With a sigh, Ana keeps looking at the recording until something makes her heart stop. Gabe pushes aside his mask, and she can’t tear her eyes away from the screen. His skin heals itself in front of her eyes. Not a sign of the decayed face she has seen when the mask has fallen from his face during their fight. And something on her heart tells her it's because of Jack. But how is this possible? For what she has read, Reaper eats the souls of his enemies, healing his body by doing it… It is possible he was feeding himself with Jack’s soul? Then Gabe stands in the video, shouting at Jack, and vanishing from the roof in a cloud of smoke, leaving a desperate Jack trying to grasp it. Playing with the controls, she moves from cam to cam until she finds Gabe again. It doesn’t surprise her when he hits the wall, hard enough to dent it. He has always needed a way to vent his frustrations. But when she makes a zoom to the image, her brain works at high speed. His face looks just as she remember. Decayed, half death, with teeth showing on his cheek and a sickly look. Jack heals him. She didn’t know why or how, but he does it, and probably Gabe wasn't aware of it. With a sigh, she sees Gabe putting down the mask, covering his face with it before turning into smoke and leaving the building. Looking at the actual feed, she finds Jack in the same position, making her heart ache for him. Her brain traces a plan on her way to the roof, and by the time she reaches it, her heart feels lighter. She knows what to do, and can only pray to make it work.

 

Jack hears her steps on the stair, and turns his face to her as soon as she puts a foot into the roof, “Good morning, Ana. Can’t sleep?”

 

“ Something like that. How are you  faring ?”

 

His gaze returns to the distant city. Without the visor, she knows Jack can barely see the outline of it, but he refuses to put the mask on. “I’ve been better, but beggars can’t be choosers.”

 

She closes the distance, kneeling beside him and leaning her head on his shoulder, startling him at first just to melt into the touch several heartbeats later. They keep their silence, just looking the sun rising in the sky and painting everything in orange and gold tones. The distant city wakes up with the sun, disturbing the peace of the night with the sound of cars, honks and the low murmur of the distant calling coming for the minarets around the city. Several minutes pass while they keep looking the world waking up around them, until Jack stirs under her, and Ana moves away from him. “Will you be fine by yourself for some hours? I need to buy supplies.”

 

Unfolding his  legs , Jack’s bones  crack when he  forces his  body to  move after  too many  hours in the same  position . “ Sure . I’ll be  going to  sleep . Connect the  alarms to my  pad , just in  case . And take  care out  there . If Gabe has  found us so  easily , more Talon  agents can be  there with a surprise  party at the  ready .”

 

Ana has to snort at him, standing and offering a hand to help him, “I’ve been doing this far longer than you, my friend. Now get some rest. I will tidy up everything before going to the city. I’ll wake you up tonight.”

 

Jack just nods at her before recovering the mask and putting it on, disappearing inside the building with slow steps and a wave over his shoulder. Ana sits back, legs hanging from the edge while she outlines her plan.

 

Darkness welcomes Jack when he reaches the hallway that leads to their rooms. He knows the way in and doesn’t bother turning on the lights. Once inside the room, he locks the door and lets his body fall on the bed. Since Gabe had left last night, his heart has been bleeding slowly, pain and regrets pooling inside his chest. How many nights has he spent thinking about what has gone wrong? How much of it was his fault? Just to be spat in the face with the truth, that indeed it was him the one to blame. He has destroyed the only important thing in his life, shattering the foundations of his own soul with his stupid beliefs and righteousness. The mask feels oppressive. He can’t breathe, can’t think. With trembling hands he pulls it out, trying to catch some air, just to sense the telltale wetness of the tears rolling down his face. Questing fingers touch his face, wiping away the teardrops. His brain is reviewing all his conversations with Gabriel during the last days of Overwatch, all the discussions, the shouts, the angry words… “It was me. From the very beginning, it was me. I burned down the bridge and kept myself on the road blaming the world for it.” He was crying and laughing at the same time, the pressure on his chest so tight he wishes he could die from it. “About time, you fucking stubborn bastard. At least you will die knowing the truth.” He let himself cry until sleep calls him, wishing as every night since the explosion, that the dreamland keep him forever in a better place than real life. But his brain isn’t in the mood, and instead, a memory plays in front of his mind...

 

**~~~~~~~SEP DAYS~~~~~~~**

 

The lights are turned off since 9PM, which means they can’t leave their dorms. Not that Jack has any intention to do so. He was sitting on the couch, on his pyjamas after a quick shower, reading one of the books he has brought with him. The older man sits on the other side of the couch, surfing throw the movies available on the screen. Jack has read three times the same sentence before stopping his efforts. The day has been full of new information to deal with and his brain seems unable to concentrate. Using a hand to mark the page, he let the book close before leaning his head back in the couch, the day events rolling over his memory like a movie. 

 

Gabriel, true to his word, has showed him the base during the evening, until dinner time has arrived. The mess was full of scientists and soldiers, some dressed in black like Gabriel and his team, and others with the marine uniform. The sound was overwhelming, with more than a hundred souls enclosed inside the mess. Gabriel guided him to the line, showing him what to eat and what to avoid, and the _‘no rations’_ was a novelty for Jack, but a welcome one.  His tray was filled to the rim by the time they return to their rooms to eat there. They had shared the meal on the kitchen counter, with Gabriel laughing at the big appetite of the blonde and stealing some food from his tray when the younger man was distracted. After that, they had put the dishes in the sink before taking turns on the bathroom and sitting in the couch to spent the rest of the evening.

 

They had fallen easily in a comfortable silence, sharing shy smiles here and there when they catch the other looking. Jack knows he can’t keep reading, his mind is too full of info and doubts, and decides to ask the question that is eating him alive, “Hey,  can you explain me something about what are they going to do to me, well, to us, tomorrow?”

 

Explosions and shouts come from the screen in that moment, he must have chosen a movie at last, and Gabriel pushes the volume control down, almost silencing it, and turning to sit facing Jack. “I  can tell you one thing, you won’t like it. Every  time is different. They connect us to VI lines for hours, pumping chemicals into our bodies. Sometimes the serum burns, others it let your limbs numb and unresponsive, the worst times it hurts too much and you  can end passing out. The last  time I ended having to spend two days abed because of it, with a high fever and delirious.”

 

“Sounds funny.”

 

Gabe  chuckles , returning his attention to the screen, “You’ll see soon enough. Come on, Boy Scout, stop pretending you are reading and watch  the movie with me.”

 

A soft blush shows on Jack’s face, but he  chuckles too, putting the worn bookmark in place before leaving the book on the side table. He changes his posture, bending the legs between them and leaning on the armrest. The name of  the movie glows on the screen and he has to laugh this  time , “You are a veteran and a member of a super soldier force and you spend your free  time watching old action movies?”

 

“Shh, just enjoy it, Sunshine.”

 

They fall again in companionable silence, laughing with the same scenes. Jack even surprised Gabe repeating a full line of dialogue in a comical voice, making them laugh harder for a while, losing a scene and having to rewind to catch up. But along half  movie , Jack’s tiredness shows, and the man loses track of the  movie when his eyes close,  head falling in uncomfortable positions. Before he falls asleep, he feels  a soft blanket being pulled over him, and he sinks in the extra heat, finding a better spot for his  head while mumbling  a soft _‘thank you’_. 

 

He didn’t know how long has he slept when he wakes up. Under the soft light of the still light on screen, he sees Gabriel sleeping on his side of the couch, legs under the blanket with him. He sits back, stretching his back, sleep still clinging hard to his brain. Jack crawls to Gabriel, shaking his shoulder, but nothing happens. The man is a dead log. He didn’t even react when Jack stands and takes the blanket with him. He tries again, with more energy, but Gabriel seems to be in a coma. The blonde knows soldiers can be that way, but he didn’t imagine Gabriel could be one of those. He ponders his options. He can leave him there, destroying his back and turning his day tomorrow, well later, in a living hell, or he can try to bring him to his bed. At last, his good heart wins and he moves to the bedrooms door, opening Gabriel’s one before returning to the couch. With extra care, he slides a hand under Gabriel knees and another behind his shoulders, raising him from the couch, with more effort than expected. The heavy man on his arms just mumbles but doesn’t wake up, making Jack smile while walking to the room. Once inside, he avoids to look around, knowing he doesn’t have permission to do it and feeling like violating his privacy. He puts Gabriel down into the bed, fighting a bit with him to cover his body with the blankets. When he had him abed, Jack leaves the room, closing the door before turning off the screen and stepping inside his own. Slipping inside his bed, Jack lets the sleep take him again.

 

The sound of someone  moving around the quarters wakes him, and  Jack takes a groggy look to the clock to check the time. He has overslept, not too much, but he needs to move. With some effort, he leaves the bed,  moving to the door while rubbing his eyes.  Gabriel is on his uniform behind the counter. The delicious smell of fresh brewed  coffee filling the room.  Jack stretches on his way there, “ Morning .”

 

Gabriel serves him a mug of  coffee , pushing the cream and sugar in his direction before sipping his own, “ Morning ,  Sunshine .”

 

“It is too early for  pet names.”

 

Gabriel soft chuckle catches  Jack by surprise, “Oh  Sunshine , if you think this is a  pet name, I will need to show you a couple of things about life.”

 

Jack growls before hiding his face between his bent arms, “Don’t make me regret being nice to you,  Gabriel .”

 

“Not a morning person, huh? But yeah, you deserve a white card. Thanks for last night. The couch is comfortable enough but not for my poor neck.”  Jack dismisses his  words with a hand before using it to grab the mug and  take a long sip of  coffee .  Gabriel shakes his head. This man is something different. “Come on, golden boy. You need to wake up. We have half an hour to be ready and  go to the medbay for your first treatment.” 

 

Those words did the trick, making Jack sit back and finish his coffee in one go, “I’ll take a quick shower.” He almost runs to his room, searching inside the drawers for a set of black clothes. He finds everything he needs, together with his toiletry bag and underwear, and goes to the bathroom. On his way there, he sees Gabriel washing the dishes from breakfast and stacking in a box the ones from dinner. He didn’t dwell on the image, locking himself inside the bathroom and striping his pyjamas while the water heats. With still sleepy movements, he washes his teeth before stepping inside the shower, taking a quick one, just enough to wake him up completely and wash away the sleepiness from his body and mind. When he has dried his body and hair, he puts on the clothes, frowning when he sees the pants hanging low on his hips and the shirts several sizes bigger than what he needs. With his dirty clothes on hand, he leaves the bathroom, just to find a very amused Gabriel leaning on the counter pretending to read a book. “I know. Too big for my sorry blonde ass.”

 

Another chuckle goes with  Gabriel pushing himself away from the kitchen while closing  the book , “Don’t worry, Sunshine. You will fill them soon enough.”  Jack has disappeared inside his room, coming back shortly with his boots on hand,  ready to put them on.  Gabriel leaves  the book on the side table beside Jack’s one, watching how  Jack sits on  the couch and works on the laces of his shoes. “ Ready for the first day of torture?”

 

“As  ready as I can be.” With a deep breath and trying to control his nerves,  Jack stands from  the couch .  Gabriel nods and beckons to him with a movement of his head, before turning to the main  door , grabbing  the box with the dirty dishes from yesterday on his  way out.  Jack follows closer, locking the  door behind them once he steps on the hallway. The butterflies flying on Jack’s chest just grow in number with every step they take, closing the distance to the research ward. 

 

Once they leave  the box in the mess, Gabriel uses the rest of the  way to study his partner, and even after this short time, he sees the signals of his nervousness easily. Before they reach the double door, he puts a hand  on Jack’s shoulder, “Moment of truth. Do you need a  minute ?”

 

A little smile grows  on Jack’s face, “Will you let me forget about it if I ask for that  minute ?”

 

“Nope. And I can be a merciless SOB, Sunshine.”

 

“Don’t know why, but it didn’t surprise me.”  Jack grin’s grow, straightening his back before keep walking, “Then let’s move before I can’t convince myself if this is a good idea or not.”

 

The doors open when Jack moves closer, showing a waiting room with several members of Gabriel’s team already there. A doctor approaches them, not waiting for a greeting, “Morrison, follow me. Reyes, wait with your team for your turn.” Jack gives Gabriel a short wave before following the doctor into a side hallway. 

 

White doors lined the walls on both sides, and the doctor keeps walking until he reaches one with a 76 glowing on the screen over the lock. Opening it, he steps aside to let Jack move inside first, following him and closing the door. The room inside is as aseptic as one can imagine; white walls, white furniture, a big black gurney in the middle of it, and several chairs and stools around the walls. To Jack’s surprise, Arenth was there, sitting on a chair beside a table filled with different bags of bright colours. The doctor raises her brown gaze to him, a sweet smile growing on her face, “Good morning, Jack.”

 

“ Good morning ,  doctor .”

 

She stands from the chair, moving to the gurney and patting it softly, “Come here. Mathews, you can leave us now. I will take care of him.” Jack can see the surprise written on the other doctor’s face before he nods and exits the room, leaving them alone. “Come on, Jack, don’t be shy.” The echoes of his steps is the only sound over the humming of the electronic devices inside the room. That silence, together with the presence of the head of the scientist team on his room just adds to his nerves, but he complies, coming closer and sitting on the gurney. She nods to him, turning to the table to prepare whatever she will want to use on him, giving him her back before talking, “Take off your shirt and trousers. You have a hospital gown ready on that chair.” She points to a corner over her shoulder while working, giving him some sense of privacy.

 

With nerves spiking on his chest, he stands from the gurney, going to the designated spot and taking off his clothes, putting on the gown before going back. The leather from the gurney feels cold against his skin, the thin cloth doing almost nothing to keep it away. He is still trying to find a comfortable position when the sound of wheels rolling over the floor makes him look to his side, just to find the doctor pushing a cart filled with VI bags. When she reaches the side of the gurney, she touches a computer on it side, unfolding a hanger and reclining it, surprising Jack and making him gasp.

 

She chuckles, before looking intently to  the bags on the chart, finger touching her lips, “This is your  first day, and we are supposed to  take it easy, but I  know you  can handle  a bit of discomfort, right?”

 

He nods, thinking maybe this was another test. He has been told that he was the youngest soldier and more inexperienced one they have chosen, and he  will give his all on this challenge, whatever the cost.  The doctor seems pleased with his answer, dark eyes shining in mischief when she picks the  first pair of  bags .

 

“Then we will work as quickly as possible with you. I see a lot of potential in you, Jack Morrison.” Hanging the bags, she gets the VI needles ready, showing them to Jack before wrapping an elastic band around each biceps. After some seconds, she inserts the needles, making him shudder in pain, but it passes quickly. The thin silicon tubes inserted on his arms are almost unnoticeable. Arenth pats his shoulder before connecting the VI bags, “We will work as quickly as possible, but it can get a bit uncomfortable for you. Let me know if you need something to deal with the pain.”

 

With a nod from him, she steps aside, returning to the table where she has been seating when he entered the room.  Jack waits several seconds,  eyes fixed on the glowing liquid dripping from  the bag at a steady pace. The vibrant colours of it makes him doubt about the idea of letting it flow  inside his system, but soon it was too late. A scorching sensation runs down his arms, forcing a low grunt from  inside his chest. Arenth mutters a soft _‘easy there’_ , ignoring him for the rest of  the bag .  Jack grabs the sides of the gurney with both hands in a white knuckles grasp. His breathing is broken, with clenched teeth,  eyes closed in concentration. After a while, his full body is burning, with a cold sweat covering it and he stops fighting against the whining sounds escaping his control. The sound of the wheels on the doctor’s chair enters his brain, and he forces an eye open to watch her coming closer and  checking the bags , passing a portable scanner over him to check his constants. “You are doing great,  Jack . Do you need something for the  pain ?”

 

Taking a ragged breath, he tries to speak, words ending sounding broken, “Not yet.”

 

She nods,  checking the bags and adding a  new set, connecting them to the dispenser. The  new blue liquids feel  like ice is being pumped inside his arms.  Jack feels a stinging  pain ,  like if someone pierced him with thousands of needles and he arches his back in  pain , a low growl finding its way outside his mouth. Arenth pushes him to  the gurney, searching for a needle on her pocket. “I’m sorry,  Jack . The first one is supposed to be delivered in lower doses, but I  need you at your max. We  need you ready for what is about to come. Sleep through this.” She injects him on the neck, making him wince at the feeling, but soon darkness welcomes him, stealing from him his senses together with the  pain .

 

Next time his mind wakes up, he is filled with a soaring pain, moaning loudly when he tries to move. In seconds, something wet and cold touch his forehead, “Easy there, Sunshine. I got you.” A bottle is pressed to his mouth, water dampening his lips, and he opens them, drinking in little sips. “Good job.” He keeps shivering, pain and cold mixing in a perfect match to turn his life in a living hell. Gabriel sighs beside him while pulling away the bottle. “What the hell have they done to you?”

 

Jack’s  voice sounds ragged and raspy, and he winces in  pain while trying to speak or even open his eyes. “I-- I don’t know. Arenth said she need me ready quickly.” The way his  voice failed him and the  pain on his body, together with the empty  feeling in his stomach signals him he has been knocked out longer than planned. “How long?”

 

“Three fucking days, Sunshine.”  Gabriel sits on  the bed , cleaning his face with the cold rag before taking it away.

 

“ Shit .”

 

The cloth comes back refreshed, making Jack sigh at the feeling. Gabriel sounds tired when he crawls to the bed, sitting against the wall, “My thoughts exactly, golden boy. You have scared the shit out of me more than once these nights.” Jack tries to talk, to say how sorry he was for making the other man take care of him, but Gabriel silences him, “Stop that. You have been asking for my forgiveness for the last day. God, even in delirium you are a piece of cake.”

 

Jack feels his face go hot,  even over the fever blushing, “I didn’t expect-- this.”  Gabriel just hums while shrugging, head leaning against the wall behind him. Now that his mind is fully awake,  Jack can see the telltale signs of  Gabriel’s own distress. He looks tired, with big dark bags under his eyes and sleepy hair. “How are you faring?”

 

A soft smile grows on  Gabriel’s  face, “And the Sunshine strikes back. I’m fine. Deeply worn out and sleep deprived, but I will survive.” When  Jack shifts his position with a huff,  Gabriel opens  an eye to look at him, finding him worrying his lower lip between his lips, gaze fixed on the opposite wall. “Hey, it is  not your fault .”

 

“Maybe not, but I don’t like being the reason of that.” 

 

Gabriel just shrugs,  eyes closed again, “ Not your fault , at all, Sunshine. Someone has  to keep an eye on you.”

 

The sleep is calling  Jack again, grasping his mind with strong hands and  pulling him down the rabbit hole again. Feeling it, he turns to face  Gabriel , forcing  his eyes open. “I’m gonna pass out again, I  can feel it. You have  to keep an eye on me, but not destroy yourself doing it.” He closes  his eyes , and  Gabriel thinks he has fallen asleep again, but instead  Jack raises a hand, searching blindly until he finds the other man’s arm,  pulling him as hard as he  can , which is almost nothing. 

 

“What are you doing, Sunshine?”

 

With a sloppy voice,  Jack keeps  pulling him while talking, “Trying to make you lay with me. You  can keep an eye on me and get some  rest . No one has said you need to  sleep on your ass.” Tiredness and the sweet calling of  sleep takes away the decision from  Gabriel , and he let  the other man pull him down, falling on  the bed in front of him, close to the wall where he has been leaning. They rearrange the bedsheets in silence, keeping a good distance between them. Luckily  the bed is big enough. “ Rest well.”

 

A low hum is Jack’s answer, and  Gabriel closes his eyes, believing  the other man is already  sleeping . But to his surprise,  Jack slurry  voice sounded again, barely a whisper, “Thank you,  Gabriel .”

 

“Don't worry, Sunshine. I got your back.”

 

**~~~~~~~PRESENT DAYS~~~~~~~**

 

Jack wakes up from the half sleeping state with a scream. The memory stings like a stab, the echoes of Gabriel’s voice filling his mind and making the wound on his heart bleed even more. With a grunt, he turns on the bed, hiding his face on the pillow, using it to wipe the tears he knows are falling freely from his eyes. After all those years, the memory of that first night keeps filling his heart with a mix of feelings. Happiness because it was a nice memory, one of caring and friendship, and one of pain, knowing he has lost the chance to have it again. Did Gabriel remember it like him? With the same feelings, the same pain, the bleeding heart? Searching for the datapad under the pillows, he pushes the play, hiding it again and closing his eyes, with a prayer to fall asleep soon and stop hurting for a while, Gabriel’s voice lulling him.

 

Ana has heard the scream from her room where she was changing her clothes for the visit to the city. Years of friendship makes her  stop her first instincts, knowing deep  inside he was dreaming,  and she can’t do a shit about the reason of his pain. At least where he is now. She gets ready soon enough, fishing for her secondary rifle, the compact one,  inside her bags, and hiding it under the long jacket she was wearing. A pistol hanging from her hip, covered too by the garment completes the defense system. Searching again  inside the bag, she recovers a  pad and a phone she has been storing for an emergency,  and she can’t think of nothing that deserves the name like the actual situation. 

 

After activating all the extra protection systems she has installed on the old factory, she links the alarms to her  pad and Jack’s before leaving the building. She walks decidedly to the city, with a strong plan already developed in her mind. Half an hour later, she reaches El Cairo,  searching for a discrete spot on a café near the Museum. She orders a  coffee and connects the devices to the network. The Overwatch recall pings immediately on her screen, and she sighs. This is gonna be hard... As soon as the  coffee arrives, she picks up the phone,  searching for a number and dialing it. A well know voice, maybe a bit raspier than the last time she heard it, welcomes her, “Greetings!”

 

“Reinhardt.”

 

The man on the other side of the line stops breathing, keeping his silence for longer than she ever expected, “If this is  a joke , you are playing with fire, my friend.”

 

She smiles fondly. Ana  can picture him clearly, brows raised to the sky and a scowl on his face, waiting for an answer. “Not  a joke , Reinhardt. It is me.”

 

Another set of silent seconds, but at last he sighs loudly, and she  can hear the smile on his  words , “I knew you couldn’t be dead, my dear. Right now I’m too happy to have you back, but  we will have a little discussion about your disappearance.”

 

“And  we will have it. Sooner than you  can imagine if I have my way.” He hums on the other side of the line, waiting for the  words he knows are coming next. “I need your help.”

 

His musical  laugh wash over her  like the morning sun, warming her very soul,  like it always did, “And I just hoped you called to  keep in touch with your favourite  Crusader …”

 

Joining the laugh, she shakes her head softly in disbelief. Years can come and go, but he will keep being the good hearted Crusader she met on her younger days. “That I do, my friend. But I need a special favour. Jesse and Angela are there with you?”

 

“Yes.  Jesse is on a  mission right now  but he will be back  soon .”

 

She sips from her coffee before going on, “Perfect. I need you three on El Cairo as soon as possible. Secret mission. I will send you a secure place to stay and we can rendezvous there as soon as you three arrive.”

 

The sound of his fingers tapping over a hard surface travels through  the line , “Time has passed, but this is the only thing  will never change, Ana. I didn’t like jumping blindly into danger, not if I can’t step from it with my hammer and shield.”

 

“I  will say nothing more over  the line , but I’m not the only ghost you  will face once you reach El Cairo, and the others need all the help  we can muster.”

 

The fingers stop the movement, with silence filling the space between them again, until  Reinhardt stands from the chair where he has been seating. “ Consider it done . Give me two days and  we will be there.”

 

The air she has been saving leaves her body with a hush, “Thank you,  Reinhardt .  We can talk when you are here. And please, don’t say a word about me to anyone, less of all to Fareeha. I need to think on a way to deal with it.”

 

“Consider it done. We will see you soon, Ana. Take care out there.”

 

She has to laugh to that, “I’ve been doing it pretty well the last years, my friend.  See you soon .”

 

Cutting off the call, she turns off the phone, sipping slowly from her coffee. The wheel is rolling. Time  will say If she's done the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are like cookies for writers! Save a writer, leave a comment :P


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